Folding egg-crate.



No. 810,283 PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

A. D. IMRIE. FOLDING EGG CRATE.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 6, 1904-.

2 SHEETS- S 1.

PATENTED JAN. 16, 1906.

A. D. IMRIE. FOLDING EGG CRATE. APPLICATION FILED MAY'Q, 1904.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

WWI $050M mam-CW.-

ANDREW D. IMRIE, OF FERNEY, SOUTH DAKOTA.

FOLDING EGG-CRATE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 16, 1906.

Application filed May 6, 1904. Serial No. 206,692.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ANDREW D. IMRIE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Ferney, in the county of Brown, State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Folding Egg Crates; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to folding crates such as are employed for shipping eggs, the object of the invention being to provide a crate which when adjusted for use will be rigid and when folded will form a receptacle of sufficient capacity to contain the cells.

A further object of the invention is to provide a crate wherein the cells need not be removed when the crate is folded, the cells being so formed as not to require the usual separate sheets between the layers, the separating means folding and unfolding with the crate.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood from the following description.

In the drawings forming a portion of this specification, and in which like numerals of reference indicate similar parts in the several views, Figurel is atop plan view of the crate set up with the top or lid in open position and illustrating a series of cells in top plan. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the crate artlyfolded. Fig. 3 is a transverse section t ough the crate in moved.

Referring now to the drawings, there is.

shown an egg-crate comprising a bottom including the rectangular members and 11, connected by hinges 12 at their longitudinal edges, so that the member 10, which is of much greater width than the member 11, may be adjusted to lie in the same plane with the member 11 or stand at right angles thereto.

Secured rigidly upon the member 11 is a side, which in the present instance comprises uprights 13 and 14 and connected slats 15, the upright 13 being secured against the inner faces of the slats at one end, while the slats at the opposite end are secured against the section 16 of the end of the crate, this section 16 standing upon the bottom section 11 and being secured rigidly thereto Hinged to the end section 16 is an end section 17, which is folded position, the cells being re-- lid section 31 is of much greater width than the section 16 and which when swung on its hinges 18 to lie parallel with the slats is flush with the hinged edge of the bottom member 11, so that the bottom member or section 10 may be folded against the outer face of said end member or section 17, said section 17 being cut away at its bottom edge, as illustrated at 19, so that it may swing or pass overtheadjacent hinge 12. A hook 20 is pivoted to the end of the bottom section 10 in position to engage an eye 21, carried by the end section 17, when the latter is in its unfolded position, (illustrated in Fig. 1,) and in the upper face of the bottom section 10 is a recess 22 to receive this eye when the crate is folded.

Hinged to the upright 13 is the major end section 23, to which is hinged a minor end section 24, having, the same width as the section 16, and to the free longitudinal edge of the section 24 are rigidly secured side slats 25, which are further connected by the end and intermediate uprights 26 and 27, respectively. The upright 26 is hinged at its outer longitudinal edge to the major end section 17. With this arrangement of the sides and ends with respect to the bottom the body of the crate may be collapsed so that the end section 17 and slats will lie parallel with and spaced from the end section 23 and slats 15 the end sections 16 and 24 holding the first-named sections in spaced relation, so that a long and narrow rece tacle is formed to contain the collapsed cefl-cases hereinafter described.

Hinged to the top slat 25 is alid-section 30, to which in turn is hinged a major lid-section 31, which covers the crate when the latter is unfolded. When the crate is folded or collapsed, the lid-section 3O rests upon the upper edges of the end sections 23 and 24 and the upper slats 15 and 25, while the lid-section 31 is folded against the side faces of the end section 23 and slats 15, in which position it is held by hooks 32 and 33, which are engaged, respectively, with pins or screws 34 and 35 on the bottom section 11 and end section 24. At the same time the bottom section 10 is folded to lie against the end section 17 and the slats 25, where it is held by hooks 35 and 36, which engage pins or screws 37 and 38, carried by the end section 16 and top section 30, respectively. In the under face of the top or formed a recess 38, which when the crate is folded receives the eye 39 on the end section 23, with which is engaged the hook 33 when the crate is unfolded to hold the lid closed, there being an eye 39 carried by the top slat 15 to receive the hook 32 at the same time. It will be noted that the end sections 16 and 17 project above the sides of the crate, while the end sections 23 and 24 project below the sides of the crate, and when the crate is unfolded the bottom sections abut the projecting portions of the sections 23 and 24, and the lid when closed abuts the projecting portions of the end sections 16 and 17. The bottom slat 25 carries an eye 41, with which engages the hook 36 when the crate is unfolded, the disposition of the hooks 36 and 32 with respect to the eyes 39 and 41 being such that when it is attempted to collapse the crate the hooks exert a pull on the eyes, which by resisting this pull hold the crate rigid.

What is claimed is A collapsiblecrate comprising a bottom including major and minor hinged members, a

1 side hinged to said minor member of said bottom, ends each comprising a major and a minor member hinged together, the maj or memj ber of one end being hinged to the said side at one of its ends and the minor member of the other end being hinged to the said side at the other of its ends, a second side hinged to the major member of the first-named end, a

lid comprising a minor section hinged to the last-named side and a major member hinged to the minor section, the said major member of the bottom being adapted to lie with one of its faces against one of the faces of one of the major portions of one of the ends and a portion of one of the faces of one of the sides.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ANDREW D. IMRIE. Witnesses:

WILLIAM ALLEN, NELLIE ALLEN. 

